That really does sum up our Saturday, but it just wouldn't be any fun to leave it at that...so today was a typical non-stop day of going from one place to the next.
The day started out with me taking Addie to dance and Chris taking Julien to football. Since Addie's dance class was just minutes away from the football field, we would only be a few minutes late for the game. Too bad nobody knew that the field was nothing but mud and the game would be cancelled. That would have been helpful to know before they drove out to Cahaba Heights and missed Addie's dance class. A dance class in which I was cheering for my sweet little baby girl!
In order to picture this, you have to realize that the parents sit inside a little room and watch our girls and boy through a large floor to ceiling two way mirror. The room we sit in is dark (of course) and although there is polite conversation amongst the parents, everyone really just sits and watches our children, with the occasional email, text and stepping out for phone calls. Otherwise, we sit in a quiet dark room and smile at our children who cannot see us. Before class began, I instructed the teacher to give Addie a little more independence this time. Instead of holding her hand to help her transition to every activity, just call her name and tell her what she needs to do and let's see if she comprehends the instructions. I told her to only physically direct Addie if it was obvious Addie did not understand the directions. My point in this was trying to figure out if Addie would follow what the other little girls were doing and eventually understand the routine.
The teacher did a great job, only helping Addie when she had to - which was quite a bit - but there were moments when Addie was able to understand the directions, i.e. sit down, walk to the line, bang the sticks (really loudly), etc.
So, in this dark room we all sat and time after time, the teacher would have to physically help Addie to a standing position. That is just a skill Addie has not mastered. At one point, I just felt the need to say to this quiet, dark room full of parents, "we're still working on learning to stand up by ourselves" (really this statement should not have been plural, but it was), in response one Mother pointed out that Addie was doing so good and was always happy (and she is).
It was no more than five minutes later when Addie's teacher told her to "stand up". We all watched as Addie leaned forward, put her hands on the floor in front of her, pushed that tutu'd draped bottom up in the air and tried to find the strength to stand. That's when I started cheering her on and the other parents were making little comments, of, "I think she's going to do it!" and then...she did! Addie stood up ALL BY HERSELF in those little ballet slippers on that slick floor and you would have thought I was at a football game the way I cheered for her! Granted, it was just ONE time that it happened, but it happened and that means that it will happen again...in God's own time!
I'm so proud of her and so far, I cannot detect any animosity from the other parents...I pray it stays that way!!!!
After rushing out of dance, next came our adventure to Kim and then to the evil scarecrow!
